For UFC Fight Night 19's Gray Maynard, progress, not a title shot, his current focus

While Wednesday night’s UFC Fight Night 19 event is headlined by a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Melvin Guillard, it’s the evening’s co-feature that may have the biggest immediate impact on the 155-pound division.

Undefeated Gray Maynard welcomes Roger Huerta back from a 13-month layoff, and many MMA observers believe a win should get “The Bully” a crack at the title.

Just don’t count Maynard among those calling for him to get a shot at the belt.

“A lot of people talk, and it’s like, ‘Oh, man, you should be going for a title,'” Maynard told MMAjunkie.com’s John Morgan for The Dallas Morning News. “I’ve been hearing that a lot. I haven’t even thought about that at all. I just keep it in my head, ‘Hey, man, you just have to win. You’ve got to take it one day at a time.’

“To tell you the truth, what I want is a good day, every day. I want to get a little bit better in my striking, in my jiu-jitsu, every day. I just want to focus on that every day.”

It’s a humble attitude from a humble fighter, but Maynard hardly seems to be issuing false modesty. Instead, the 30-year-old is simply staying true to himself in pursuit of becoming a complete fighter.

With wins over the likes of Jim Miller, Rich Clementi and Frankie Edgar, many believe Maynard is already in line for a shot at the lightweight belt. But the Xtreme Couture fighter says he can’t look past what’s in front of him on Wednesday night.

“Honestly, [Huerta] is a tough kid,” Maynard said. “He’s got a lot of heart, and it’s a tough fight.”

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